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Sugar Water Density Rainbow Experiment

Learn about density in this fun and simple science experiment.

November 2019

You Will Need

• Food colouring
• Pipette/syringe

The Experiment

• Fill 4 glasses with water. Leave the 5th glass empty.
• Add 2-3 drops of food colouring to each glass of water. Add red colouring to the first glass, yellow to the second, green to the third, and blue to the fourth.
• In the glass with red colouring, do not add any sugar. In the yellow glass, add one tablespoon of sugar. In the green glass add two tablespoons of sugar. In the blue glass add three tablespoons of sugar. Leave the fifth glass empty. Stir the sugar/food colouring/water solution in each glass until the sugar is completely dissolved - you can use warm or room temperature water to speed this up and make sure all sugar is dissolved.
• Using the pipette or syringe, fill the empty 5th glass ¼ full with the blue sugar solution, then add ¼ of the green solution which should sit on top. Then add ¼ of the yellow solution, then ¼ of the red solution to finish. Go slowly, making sure the different layers don’t mix into each other. You should have created a rainbow!

The Science

Density is the number of particles in a given volume. When more sugar is added, more space between the water particles is filled. Adding sugar to the water increases the density of the water, so the more sugar in the solution, the greater the density.

The blue sugar solution has the most sugar so it is the densest as it has the highest number of sugar particles per 100ml of water. The densest solution stays at the bottom, with the least dense on top. The red solution has less sugar so has a lower density, and, as a result, stacks on top of the mixture with a higher density - so the differing densities separate out.

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Sugar Water Density Experiment

What happens when you combine blue, green, yellow, and red water in a single glass? Brown, right? Not necessarily! Make this mesmerizing rainbow in a glass by experimenting with water density.

Density measures the amount of mass in a particular space. For example, oil molecules are packed less tightly than water molecules, making oil less dense than water and causing it to float on top when the two are combined. Water can have different densities as well. An easy way to change water density is with sugar. When you mix sugar with water, the sugar molecules occupy the space between the water molecules, making the solution more tightly packed (denser). The more sugar you add, the denser the solution.

In this sugar water density experiment, we will change the density of different colored water solutions so that they stay separated from each other. All you need are a few common household items.

• 5 drinking glasses
• Food coloring in four different colors
• Small turkey baster

How to Conduct the Sugar Water Density Experiment

1. Fill four drinking glasses with 1/4 cup of warm water each.

2. Add sugar and food coloring to the water. Each color will have a different amount of sugar in it.

Glass 1: Add 1 tablespoon of sugar and 2 drops of red food coloring. Stir vigorously to completely dissolve the sugar.

Glass 2: Add 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 drops of yellow food coloring. Stir vigorously.

Glass 3: Add 3 tablespoons of sugar and 2 drops of green food coloring and stir.

Glass 4: Add 4 tablespoons of sugar and 2 drops of blue food coloring and stir.

NOTE: Stirring to completely dissolve the sugar is very important. Without the sugar fully incorporated into the water, you’ll have trouble getting the colors to separate. Heat up your water if it’s not working—five to 10 seconds in the microwave and an extra stirring session should help.

3. Use the turkey baster to transfer about half of the blue water into the empty glass. This is where you’ll make your rainbow.

4. Still using the baster, transfer half the green water into the rainbow glass. Add it slowly on top of the blue water. It should sit on top.

5. Add the yellow, and then the red. You’ll see a beautiful rainbow!

NOTE:  Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved before attempting to layer the colors—it’s what creates the difference in density of each color.

Bring on the Science!

During this activity, natural questions may come up.  If they don’t, start a discussion using the questions below!

• Density helps us predict whether something will sink or float. Density is super important to consider when building things like ships or submarines.
• Think about swimming. Did you know that it’s easier to float in the ocean than in a pool? That’s because ocean water is denser than pool water, due to the high salt concentration in the ocean.

If your child was enthralled by this experiment, they’ll love our Science Expeditions subscription !

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Science with Sugar: Sugar Water Rainbow

Sugar can play a role in several fun and educational at-home science experiments to keep kids learning (and having fun) this summer..

The Sugar Water Rainbow you’ll create in this science experiment is a display of density. Density is the number of particles in a given volume. When the sugar dissolves in the water, it increases the density of the water. The blue sugar solution has the most sugar, so it has the greatest number of sugar particles per cup. The densest solution stays at the bottom and the least dense stays on top.

Ingredients/Supplies:

• 12 tablespoons sugar
• 4 cups water
• Food coloring
• Tablespoon measure
• A pipette, syringe or baster

Directions:

• Put 1 cup of warm water into 4 of the glasses.
• Add 2-3 drops of red food coloring to the first glass, yellow to the second, green to the third and blue to the fourth.
• In the glass with red food coloring, do not add any sugar. Add 2 tablespoon of sugar to the yellow glass, 4 tablespoons to the green glass and 6 tablespoons to the blue glass. Stir the mixture in each glass until the sugar is dissolved.
• Using the pipette, syringe or baster, fill the empty fifth glass about ¼ full with the blue sugar solution. Then, going slowly so you don’t mix the layers, add the same amount of green solution which should sit on top of the blue sugar water. Do the same with yellow and then red.
• And there you have it – the perfect sugar water rainbow!

Here are a few more ideas for some sugar science fun:

• Homemade Bubbles [hyperlink – https://www.sugar.org/blog/homemade-bubbles/ ]
• Ice Cream in a Bag [hyperlink – https://www.sugar.org/blog/vanilla-ice-cream/ ]

Types of Chocolate: Milk, Dark, White

Beyond the obvious differences in color, there are more specificities that distinguish these varieties that are all made from combinations of cocoa and sugar.

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John Hebert ensures the future of the American sugar industry every day by assisting Louisiana’s family sugarcane farmers and getting new generations of sugarcane growers off to a solid start.

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Rainbow Water Challenge - Sugar Water Density Experiment

Rainbows are awesome, in this sugar water density experiment your kids can create a rainbow in a glass and learn a little about the science water density as they go along.

I am so lucky to have the fabulous Jessica Wilson of Playful Learners blog writing guests posts for me.

A Science teacher by trade Jess is putting together a series of STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths posts for me, most of which will have a kitchen science bent.

This is her second post, her Kitchen Science Experiments – Fizzing Rainbow Stars Fizzing Rainbow Stars is a fun activity too, hopefully we should have one Kitchen Science or STEM activity up on the blog each week.

Rainbow Water Density Experiment

Challenge: To create layers of different coloured water within a glass

Materials needed

• 4 drinking glasses
• Measuring Jug
• A small glass to layer the coloured water into
• Fill each glass with 100ml of warm water
• Add a couple of drops of different food dye to each glass and stir
• Decide the order in which you would like to layer your colours from top to bottom
• Starting with the bottom colour – add 3 tablespoon of sugar, add 2 tablespoon of sugar to the next colour, 1 tablespoon of sugar to the next and none to the top colour.
• Stir vigorously until all the sugar has dissolved
• Let the coloured water cool completely
• Using the Syringe, add 20ml of the bottom colour to a small glass, then 20 ml of the next and so on
• Hopefully you will have created a layered rainbow water effect into the glass

Tips for Parents & Teachers

Use a marker to draw a line, pointing out the level to which each glass should be filled (100ml) – this will make it easier for younger children who cannot yet measure quantities

If the sugar is not fully dissolved, gently warm the water in the microwave and stir again until completely dissolved.

When children are deciding upon the order of the colours, it may be useful to have a discussion around mixing colours; e.g. if yellow and blue water mix, green will be produced, or if blue and red water mix, purple will be made.

It might be worth avoiding this for younger children so an adult may need to guide them on this.

Sugar Water Density Experiment- What happened and why?

Key terms: Density and Particles

The sugar particles are small enough to fill the gaps between the water particles. As more sugar is added, more space between the water particles is filled and the volume of liquid increases.

Density refers to the number of particles in a given volume. So the glass with 3 tablespoon of sugar contains the largest number of particles per 100ml of water and is, therefore, the densest.

Younger children will understand the term heavy. And although this is not the correct way to explain this particular phenomenon, the idea of heavy and light will help the youngest learners to gain some understanding of why the different colours form layers.

The densest colour will stay at the bottom, with the least dense ‘floating’ at the top.

Science Skills

Measuring – children can either measure 100ml using a measuring jug or can simply pour 100ml to a marked point on a glass. Both require fine motor work and are a great way to practice skills needed in the Science classroom.

Observation – children will have to determine at what point the sugar has completely dissolved. This is a great point of discussion with younger children who may be meeting this key term for the first time.

Observation – the coloured layers of water may mix temporarily when added on top, but if the correct amount of sugar has been added, the upper layer should move on top

Observation – The volume of coloured water in the 4 glasses will increase as sugar is added – a marked line may help children to notice this.

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What a great post! I can’t wait to do this with my kids and nieces

Sugar Rainbow – Stacking Liquids in a Straw

Density differences are revealed in a colorful stack of sugar-water samples.

Print this Experiment

Explore the science of density as you learn how liquids of different densities stack on top each other. A simple combination of some sugar and water with vivid colors leads to an awesome science experience about density.

Experiment Videos

Here's What You'll Need

6 tall, clear glasses (see note in step1.), granulated sugar (you’ll have great results with imperial sugar or dixie crystals.), coloring tablets or food coloring, water (see note in step 3.), clear drinking straw, measuring spoons, small dish or sink, adult supervision, let's try it.

Fill each of the six glasses with water. NOTE: The glasses need to be stable and about as deep as the straw is long. As you fill the straw with solutions, it has to be plunged deeper and deeper into the liquids.

Use coloring tablets or food coloring to dye the water a different, bright color in each glass. Stir it completely.

The first of the six glasses will be just colored water with no sugar. The second color receives one rounded teaspoon of sugar. The third color receives two rounded teaspoons of sugar. The fourth gets three teaspoons and so on to five teaspoons of sugar in the last glass. Stir the solution in each glass until the sugar is completely dissolved. NOTE: Using warm or room temperature water will speed up this process.

Grab the straw and, if you haven’t already, remove the wrapper. Hold the straw near one end, wrapping four fingers around the straw and placing your thumb over the straw’s top opening. To make your Sugar Rainbow, lift your thumb off the opening, dunk the lower end of the straw about 1” (3 cm) into the plain water. Cap the straw firmly with your thumb, lift it out of the water, and dip it quickly into the 1 tsp solution. This time, go a little deeper than you did into the first glass. You want the layers to be about the same thickness. With the straw in the liquid, lift your thumb but quickly replace it. Lift the straw and you’ll have the first and second colored solutions in a stack inside the straw. Continue the dipping process until you have all six colored solutions inside the straw.

It’s a density column of sugar water, a Sugar Rainbow!

When you’re ready, hold the straw over the dish and lift your thumb to empty the straw. Rinse it and make another one.

How Does It Work

Density is the measurement of how much “stuff” is packed into a measured space. That’s how we get the equation for density: Density = Mass (the stuff) ÷ Volume (a measured space). Nearly every substance and material imaginable has a different density. This is especially true for the six solutions you made using sugar and water.

By increasing the amount of sugar in the solution but keeping the amount of water constant, you create solutions that have increasing densities. The more sugar that’s mixed into a measured amount of water, the higher the density of the mixture. As the Sugar Rainbow reveals, a solution with a low density stacks on top of a mixture with a high density.

So, density explains why the solutions stack on top of each other inside the straw, but what keeps the solutions in the straw? You could expect them to just pour out of the straw as you lift the straw from a solution. However, thanks to cohesion (similar molecules attracting each other) and adhesion (different molecules attracting each other), there is surface tension sealing the water at the bottom of the straw. The surface tension is strong enough to help hold the solutions in the straw… as long as air pressure inside the straw is lower than the air pressure outside the straw. Gravity tugs the solutions downward which creates a slight vacuum in the empty part of the straw. That lowers the air pressure inside the straw which is why you need your thumb to cap the straw. This prevents air pressure from equalizing inside the straw. Remove your thumb, air pressure equalizes, and gravity simply moves the colored solutions out.

Take It Further

Use a turkey baster as a replacement for the straw to slowly layer the colored sugar solutions into a larger glass to create an even bigger rainbow. Hold the tip of the baster against the side of the container close to the surface of the liquid already in the glass. Squeeze the baster gently so the water flows slowly down the side of the container and then onto the previous layer. If you try to rush it, the layers will just mix together. Rinse the baster between each layer. Move the baster upward on the side of the glass as needed so it doesn’t touch the surface of the solution. Layer all the sugar solutions in the same way. This can be hard to do but it’s worth the effort when you finish. Get some pictures!

A dramatic salt water density change can be experienced in real life. While humans will (sort of) float in an ocean, they really float in bodies of water like Utah’s Great Salt Lake and the Dead Sea in Israel and the West Bank. They are so salty that it’s nearly impossible to sink in them! Just be sure to rinse off really well when you get out.

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How to Make Sugar Density Rainbow – Science Activity Video

• September 20, 2020
• Science Videos

A science activity video about density and creating a stunning sugar rainbow within a straw straight from OMSI educators! 

Courtesy:   Oregon Museum of Science and Industry  (OMSI)

Do you know the water of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean meet at Cape Horn but never mix? Well, this because of the difference in the density of water. The water of the Atlantic Ocean is denser than that of the Pacific Ocean. This is clearly explained in this four minute video by educator Alexe in  this Sugar Rainbow science lesson .

What is sugar density rainbow?

You may have seen a rainbow on a rainy day. A rainbow appears mostly after the rain when the sun rays pass through water droplets, and the sunlight is spread out in a band of colors. Now, do you know that you can also create a rainbow at home? 

The sugar density rainbow is a creative way to know how water with different densities stacks on top of each other in a straw. So, just try the science experiment about density and know about density engagingly. 

Steps to make sugar rainbow experiment

Raw materials 

4 plastic cups filled with an equal quantity of water 

1 clear plastic straw

4 food coloring agents (Blue, red, yellow, and green)

1 bowl of sugar

*Links are affiliate links. Your support is highly appreciated.

Steps to follow

• Add a generous dose of different coloring agents in each of the glass. So, you have four glasses with blue, red, yellow, and green colored water.
• Now add a spoonful of sugar in the first cup and stir it properly to let the sugar completely dissolved. Add two spoonful’s of sugar in the second cup, three spoonful’s of sugar in the third cup, and four spoonful’s of sugar in the fourth cup.
• Now grab the clear straw and place it half an inch in the first cup that has only one tablespoon of sugar. Cap the other end of the straw with your thumb before you lift it from the water.
• Now place the same straw carefully in the next cup a little bit deeper. Next, in a quick move, release your thumb from the other end and recap the other end again.  
• Repeat the same move for the rest of the cups carefully. 

Observation-  Once you have completed all the steps, you will observe that you have successfully stacked all the four colors in the straw without letting them mix with each other. So, the green-colored water with the highest amount of sugar is at the bottom, and the blue colored water with only one spoonful of sugar is at the top. In a nutshell, you will get a rainbow of colors because of the difference in density.  

Interested in more density science experiments? Check out :

Make DIY Lava Lamp at Home

Create Fireworks in Oil & Water

You can also conduct the rainbow experiment with different liquids to figure out which one has high density and which one has a lower density. Rainbow in a jar is one such experiment. Do you want to know how to create a rainbow in jar?

Rainbow In a Jar – Science Experiment

Let’s have a look at the raw materials and the steps to follow.

Raw materials you will need

For the same, you just need a jar, 1/2 cup dishwashing liquid, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol, 1/2 cup water, a spoon, and food coloring tablets. 

• Add blue coloring into the ½ cup dishwashing liquid , and green coloring agent to ½ cup water. Now pour both of these gently into the glass jar one by one.
• Next, pour the ½ cup olive oil carefully into the jar.
• Add a few drops of red coloring into the ½ cup rubbing alcohol and slowly pour the red liquid into the jar. 

You will soon observe a rainbow inside the jar as the separation between all the liquids will be distinctly visible, and you will notice that the liquid with the highest density will be at the bottom and that with the lowest density will be at the top. You will find that olive oil and rubbing alcohol are less denser than dishwashing liquid and water. 

This amazing video of the sugar rainbow experiment gives a deep insight into density and the way to learn about the density while having loads of fun at home. By dropping various objects in a cup of water, kids can also know which has less density and which has more density than water. 

Now, what is this density?  

According to educator Alexe in this science activity video, density is how scientists talk about how crowded something is. For example, if you drop one little ball into a cup, the ball will have plenty of space to move around inside the cup, and this means low density. 

On the other hand, if you take plenty of balls of the same size and fill the same cup, this will mean that its a lot denser! So, here we can also say that density is a physical property that measures how closely packed the particles are in solid, liquid, or gas. 

The most exciting part of learning about density is that you can learn about the same with the help of easy experiments that you can do yourself with things that you may have at your home! One such experiment is the float and sinks experiment.

What is the float and sink experiment? 

Have you ever wondered by a wooden log manages to float on the water surface, but an iron rod of much smaller in size sank within no time? This is because whether an object sinks or floats in water do not just depend on its size or weight. It also depends on density. Wood is less dense than water, and so it floats. However, an iron cube of the same or lesser size sank because iron has more density than water. You can take a cup of water and can drop a wooden cube and an iron cube in the cup to find out about the difference in density yourself! However, nothing will seem to you more exciting when you will perform the sugar density rainbow experiment. 

• https://omsi.edu/at-home/videos
• http://girlstart.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/density-rainbow.pdf
• OMSI’s YouTube Channel – Great resource for Kids & Teachers

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Sugar Water Density Rainbow Science Experiment * ages 5+

Sugar Water Density Rainbow Science Experiment 🌈 ages 5+ 🌈 This simple science experiment is perfect for demonstrating water density.

MATERIALS NEEDED ( affiliate links ):

• Food coloring

Sugar Water Density Rainbow Science Experiment Video:

Check out the below video to see Nate making rainbow water and then try it yourself!

WHAT TO DO:

• Fill 6 containers with 1/2 cup warm water each (using warm water will help the sugar absorb more quickly).

• In the red cup add NO sugar.
• In the orange cup add 1 tsp of sugar
• In the yellow cup add 2 tsp of sugar
• Repeat adding sugar as follows green=3 tsp, blue=4 tsp, purple=5 tsp.

• Now it’s time to create the rainbow. Start by adding the purple mixture to a new cup with a dropper. We added 1-2 droppers full of each.
• Slowly add the blue mixture by placing the dropper close to the surface of the water and applying to the wall of the cup.
• Continue with green, yellow, orange and red.

WHY IT WORKS:

Adding sugar to the water increases the density of the water allowing the colors to stay separate. Amazing!! 👍🏻

Check out our other cool science experiments !

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Sugar Rainbow, an easy density experiment

We’ve tried stacking rainbow layers of corn syrup, rubbing alcohol, vegetable oil, soap, water, and other ingredients before… but what if we only have water, sugar, and food coloring or coloring tablets to experiment with? Check out this Sugar Rainbow experiment , also known as the rainbow in a jar, an easy way to learn about density with Steve Spangler Science :

Density is the measurement of how much “stuff” is packed into a measured space. That’s how we get the equation for density: Density = Mass (the stuff) ÷ Volume (a measured space). Nearly every substance and material imaginable has a different density. This is especially true for the six solutions you made using sugar and water. By increasing the amount of sugar in the solution but keeping the amount of water constant, you create solutions that have increasing densities. The more sugar that’s mixed into a measured amount of water, the higher the density of the mixture. As the Sugar Rainbow reveals, a solution with a low density stacks on top of a mixture with a high density.

This Webby award-winning video collection exists to help teachers, librarians, and families spark kid wonder and curiosity. TKSST features smarter, more meaningful content than what's usually served up by YouTube's algorithms, and amplifies the creators who make that content.

Curated, kid-friendly, independently-published. Support this mission by becoming a sustaining member today .

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Why do ice cubes crack in drinks, what is ocean stratification, water calligraphy device, beijing.

Science Fun

Sugar Water Density Test Science Experiment

In this fun and easy density science experiment, we’re going to use sugar water to test density. 

• Six clear plastic cups or glasses
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Six different colors of food coloring
• Graduated cylinder or some other long and thin clear container

Instructions:

• Set out the six cups.
• Pour one cup of warm water into each cup.
• Add one drop of a different food coloring to each cup.
• Do not add any sugar to the first cup.
• Add two teaspoons of sugar to the second cup.
• Add four teaspoons of sugar to the third cup.
• Add six teaspoons of sugar to the fourth cup.
• Add eight teaspoons of sugar to the fifth cup.
• Add ten teaspoons of sugar to the sixth cup.
• Mix until the sugar is dissolved.
• Now pour an amount of your most sugary solution into the graduated cylinder. Make sure you judge your amount so you can get an equal portion of all your solutions into the cylinder.
• Continue adding sugar solutions, from most to least sugary into the cylinder. Do so gently to avoid disturbing the lower levels.
• If everything works as planned, you should have a sugary rainbow density demonstration.

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How it Works:

As the sugar dissolves into the water, the water becomes more dense. The solution with the most sugar will be the most dense. You are able to layer the different solutions by their amount of sugar as the less dense solutions will float on top of the more dense solutions. The food coloring allows you to easily distinguish the different layers and observe density. 

Make This A Science Project:

Try making solutions with different items like salt. Try making solution by dissolving different numbers of candies like Skittles in each cup of water.  

EXPLORE TONS OF FUN AND EASY SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS!

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Free Worksheets

Social studies, rainbow in a jar with sugar – density science experiment.

Did you know you can effectively demonstrate density with just food coloring, sugar, and water! Don’t believe me? This  rainbow in a jar with sugar allows you to show kids how the more dense a liquid (colored for visual purposes only), the heavier it is and it will sink. This  rainbow density jar is quick, easy, and cheap to try. Use this rainbow in a jar experiment with sugar as a rainbow activity for kids in the spring or as part of a science lesson on  density for kids . No matter how you use it, this  density experiment  makes an impressive  density towe r  that will impress preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd graders too.

Rainbow in a Jar with Sugar

Teach your students about density with this fun, easy  density tower experiment . In this  rainbow in a jar  activity you will change the density of water by adding sugar. Color the water with food coloring so preschoolers, kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 students can see the layers of this beautiful  rainbow density jar . Whether you are a parent, teacher, or homeschooler – you will love this simple  rainbown in a jar expierment with sugar .

Rainbow Density Jar

This simple density jar experiment only requires a few simple ingredients:

• food coloring
• pipette or science syringe (handy for laytering)
• heat source (warm water absorbs sugar better)
• tall narrow glass container for layering

Rainbow in a Jar Experiment with Sugar

While this is a super simple density experiment for kids, it does require you to follow the directly exactly or you will just have sweet, colored water.

Combine the following each in a seperate cup:

• no sugar, & red food coloring
• 1 Tablespoon sugar  & yellow food coloring
• 2 Tablespoons sugar & green food coloring
• 3 Tablespoons sugar & blue food coloring

Note: You only need a few drops of food coloring per cup.

Now add 3 ounces HOT  water per container and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Density Experiment

Now it’s time to make the rainbow density tower out of sugar water. Make sure you layer the liquids  slowly . Start by pouring the blue water in your layering container. It has the most sugar and therefore is the most dense – it will settle at the bottom of the rainbow.

Density Tower

For the next color you will want to use a syringe or pipette to not stir the layers, but instead stack them to make a pretty rainbow. Carefully and slowly add the green sugar water to the container.  I suggest running the water down the inside of the glass. As the green water is added you will notice that it does not mix with the blue water but rather sits on top of it!

Density Science Experiment

Now slowly begin adding the yellow water to the container using the same methodology with the pipette, going SLOWLY and runnig it down the side of the conater.

Rainbow Experiment

Once all of the yellow water is added repeat this process with the red water. The red water has no sugar in it (fewer molecules mixed in the water) so it is the least dense. Unless you stir, it wil sit on the top of the other, denser colors of sugar water.

Density for Kids

So what is density anyway. Density helps us predict if something will sink or float. The more dense an object is, the more the molecules are packed together making it heaviest for it’s size.

Extension Activity: Look up swimming in the Great Salt Lake in Utah or Dead Sea in Israel. These bodies of water are even saltier than ocean water.

• So would they be more or less dense than the Atlantic Ocean?
• Is the Pacific Ocean more or less dense than a lake or swimming pool?

Now see if your parent can help you google swimming in the Great Salt Lake or the Dead Sea. Peopl float on the top of the water. The fluid is dense people are pushed to the top. That’s because the water is denser than pool water, due to the high salt concentration.

Rainbow Activities for Kids

Looking for more fun rainbow activity ideas? Check these out!

• How to Grow Rainbow Crystals EASILY at Home – Spring Science Activity
• Beautiful Rainbow Slime Activity for Kids
• Yarn Wrapped Rainbow Craft for Kids
• Paper Plate Rainbow Craft for Preschoolers
• Rainbow in a Jar Density Experiments
• Simply Rainbow Density Experiment for springtime
• Delicious Rainbow Stem scienc with jelly beans
• Rainbow Handprint Craft
• Easy Tissue Paper Rainbow Craft for Spring
• Rainbow Toast makes a yummy snack!
• Super cute Rainbow Math with a DIY abacus activity
• Rainbow Painting with Cars Activity
• Free printable Rainbow Color Matching Game
• Craft Stick Rainbow Craft
• Rainbow Rhyming Activity for Kindergarten
• Rainbow Worksheets for kids
• Free Connect the Dot Rainbow Printable for Preschoolers
• Hands-on Rainbow Math Activities for Preschoolers
• Rainbow Playdough Shape Mat
• Lots of fun ideas in this Rainbow Preschool Theme
• Rainbow Read, Rhyme and Dab St Patricks Day Activity
• Work on early literacy skills with this Rhyming Rainbows St Patricks Day for Kindergarten

Looking for more  outdoor activities for kids and  things to do in the summer ? Your toddler, preschool, pre k, kindergarten, and elementary age kids will love these fun ideas to keep them busy all summer long:

• Marshmallow Shooters – go over 30 feet!
• Lemon Volcano is a fun Summer Experiment for kids of all ages
• 2 ingredient Easy Slime Recipe
• How to Make a Simple Newton’s Cradle Science Experiment
• Ice Cream Volcano Experiment – Summer Experiment for Kids
• EPIC Mentos and Soda Experiment
• How to Make a Lava Lamp – it’s super EASY!
• DIY Water Xylophone Activity – Sound Science Experiment for Kids
• Kids will no nuts over this simple Pop Rock Experiment
• Easy Button Crafts for Kids
• Handprint Strawberry Craft for Summer
• Grow Your Own Crystals
• Water Balloon Experiment – exploring densit with an EPIC summer activity for kids
• Amazing Bubble Painting
• Mind Blowing Color Changing Playdough
• Disolving Seashell Activities – a Summer Science Experiment

Beth Gorden is the creative multi-tasking creator of Kindergarten Worksheets and Games. As a busy mother of six, she strives to create hands-on learning activities and worksheets that kids will love to make learning FUN! Browse through more than 200,000 pages of FREE worksheets & educational activities for kindergartners! Plus don't miss her other sites www.123homeschool4me.com and www.preschoolplayandlearn.com

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Rainbow Science: Sugar Density Experiment

This post may contain affiliate links.

You’ve got to try this fun and simple rainbow sugar density experiment!  Anytime there is a rainbow of colors involved in a science experiment or craft, we immediately love it. This experiment allows layers of colors to form using just sugar and water and coloring. See more Rainbow Science Experiments .

This science project idea came from our Steve Spangler Science kit that we get monthly. I got this subscription for my son for school this year and it has been such a great investment. I highly recommend them!  (See also my post about the Gravity Beads experiment from Steve Spangler, another huge hit!)

How to Do the Rainbow Sugar Density Experiment

Supplies needed:

1 Box of sugar cubes 6   Small clear plastic cups Food coloring  (with our kit we got colored tablets, but any coloring will work) Large 10 mL syringe Water

If you don’t have sugar cubes, no problem! One sugar cube is equal to 1 tsp or about 4 grams.

Number your cups from 1-6.  Add 3 ounces of hot water (or about 1/3 of a cup) to each cup.  Add food coloring to each cup to make a rainbow. Start with red in cup #1, orange in #2, yellow in cup #3, green in cup #4, blue in cup #5, and purple in cup #6.  The Steve Spangler kits come with fizzing colored tablets that are fun to work with and easy to color the water with.

Each cup is going to get a different amount of sugar cubes. This is what makes the layers because the more sugar there is in the water, the more dense it will be.

• In cup #1 there will be no sugar.
• Put 3 sugar cubes into cup #2.
• Put 5 sugar cubes into cup #3.
• Put  7 sugar cubes into cup #4.
• Put 9 sugar cubes into cup #5.
• Put 11 sugar cubes into cup #6.

Stir the cups until the color and the sugar are both dissolved into the water.

Now it’s time to add the layers into the syringe. Start with cup #1 and add 2 mL of the red water. Next add 2 mL of the orange from cup #2.

Continue in order through each of the six cups.  Add each layer slowly so the layers do not mix.  The layers will stay separated and make a rainbow of colors!

Try slowly flipping the syringe and the colors will reverse!

Try another fun Density Experiment for Kids !

Former school teacher turned homeschool mom of 4 kids. Loves creating awesome hands-on creative learning ideas to make learning engaging and memorable for all kids!

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Sugar Rainbow- Density Science Project

Introduction: Sugar Rainbow- Density Science Project

This is a really very simple yet beautiful experiment that barely requires just sugar/salt and water to do. It works on the principle of density. Let's begin! :)

• 10 spoons of Sugar (Salt can be used instead)
• Equal amount of water in 5 containers
• Food colouring or paint
• A pipette or dropper

Step 1: Take Equal Amount of Water in 5 Containers

take approx. an equal amount of room temperature water.

Step 2: Add a Different Colour to Each Container

Food colouring or paint can be used.

Step 3: Adding Sugar

Add spoons of sugar to the containers in the following order:

• 1st container - 0 spoons
• 2nd container - 1 spoon
• 3rd container - 2 spoons
• 4th container - 3 spoons
• 5th container - 4 spoons

And mix it till all the sugar is dissolved.

Step 4: Take a Glass Jar

Step 5: Order of Filling

the solutions should be filled in decreasing order of sugar. that is,

the colour with 4 spoons of sugar goes first, followed by 3 spoons, 2 spoons, 1 spoon and 0 spoons.

Step 6: Filling the Solutions

You have to fill up each colour one by one using the pipette or dropper very slowly , touching the side of the container (as shown in the picture) .

This is a very important step, if done otherwise, the solutions may mix together

This step requires a lot of patience! But the results are amazing too!

Step 7: The Science Behind It

it works on the principle of density.

The more the amount of sugar in water, the more is the density of water. A more dense liquid is heavier than a less dense liquid because a more dense liquid has more mass per unit volume as compared to a less dense liquid.

So, the water with less density (Less amount of sugar) will float over the water with more density (more amount of sugar) and not mix with it, which creates this beautiful rainbow effect.

Step 8: And Its All Done !

Thank you everyone for your time reading this instructable :)

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Sugar Water Rainbow and Gravity Bead Experiments

This post has a sugar water density rainbow and gravity bead experiments. First, the sugar water density experiment trials. We tried this experiment several ways and it was very fun. It took several attempts to almost  match the Steve Spangler Sick Science video . They make it look so easy! We read the informational page about the experiment in between trials, also, to get more tips.  First, we pour six glasses of water that were about equal.

The first time we tried this, we used liquid food coloring from the grocery store. The coloring needs to be added before the sugar. We did follow the instructions to have no sugar in the first glass, and then one tablespoon of sugar in the next, going up to five in the last glass. So far so good. We even tried again, doubling the sugar as we read about at this blog post.   Still not much luck.

Trial and Error Is One Way To Learn

I won’t show you the first attempt at layering colors as it just didn’t work. Maybe we were having too much fun. So back to the drawing board and we ordered the Steve Spangler (non-affiliate, non-spons ored) fizzers colored tablets and waited for them to arrive. Woo hoo! We were excited when they arrived. We used regular sugar for the next trial, also.

You can find color fizzers by checking the Steve Spangler site.

This was about the best we could do until we gave up on a large glass. It was tons of fun trying! We did try again with fine baker’s sugar from a special grocery store and didn’t do much better. The tricks seem to be to rinse the baster between colors, pour very slowly, and to super saturate the sugar water (heat it in the microwave a few seconds). Cold water won’t work at all. It is good for children to try different variables and work like real scientists no matter how it all turns out.

So finally, in the end, this is what worked in a test tube:

The gravity beads experiment went much better as they were easier. My daughter figured out the trick was to use a wide mouth glass and wind the beads in circles from the bottom up. Success!

Thank you for reading, Carolyn

You might also like the water discussion letter-sized-teaching posters or bulletin board display in the premium eMember area on the science page .

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Sugar Rainbow Experiment

Density is the amount of substance (mass) within the volume occupied by the object.

If two cups have the same amount of water (i.e. same volume), the one with more sugar is denser than the one with less sugar.

Buoyancy is determined by relative density.

The solution with less density floats above the solution with higher density.

In this experiment, we will use the density property to create a liquid rainbow in a straw.

Sweet and fun!

Sugar Water Rainbow in a Straw

This is a perfect experiment that teaches kids about  water density .

• food colorings (rainbow colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple)
• a clear straw
• 6 cups (at least 4 inch tall)
• adult supervision

Instructions

• Fill each of the six cups with the same amount of water.
• Adding food colorings into the cups, one color in each cup.

• In the first cup, do not add any sugar. In the second cup, add one tablespoon of sugar. In the third cup, add two tablespoons of sugar. In the fourth cup, add three tablepoons of sugar, and so on.
• Stir until all the sugar is dissolved.

• In one quick move, release the thumb and recap again. Now you should have two layers of color.

Did you try this project?

Follow us on Pinterest and share a photo!

Having different densities is why the different colors don’t mix.

Sugar water has higher density than plain water. 

The solution with more sugar has higher density than the one with less sugar.

If you have inserted the straw in the solutions from the least sugar to the most sugar, then the color don’t mix and you have a sugar water rainbow.

Another principle illustrated in this experiment is air pressure . 

In this experiment, a straw is used to create the rainbow tower .

Alternatively, you can use a dropper to carefully layer the colored solution in a narrow test tube.

Why is it possible to keep the colored solution in the straw when it is lifted from the water?

When the straw is lifted out of the solution, the rainbow tower doesn’t fall out because water’s surface tension makes sure the colored water and your thumb together create a sealed air chamber inside the straw.

Gravity pulling the water downward makes the air volume slightly larger.

When the amount of air is constant, larger volume leads to  lower air pressure .

The air pressure outside of the straw is therefore higher than that inside, pushing the water inward and canceling the gravitational force .

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The rainbow density tower experiment is a great way to teach your kids about how the density of water can change when something is dissolved in it and is a good way to introduce older children to the idea of how salty seawater and freshwater interact in our oceans. Max was amazed by the result of this experiment, and had thousands of questions about what was going on! This experiment can be performed with salt or sugar. It can be performed with at least two different types of food colouring, but the more you use the better it looks! Why don’t you try to make 3 or 4 layer density tower, or even 6 layer tower as we did in the video below.

It’s important to consider the volumes of the glasses and the tall beaker. Ideally, the volume of water in It’s important to consider the volumes of the glasses and the tall beaker. Ideally, the volume of water in the glasses will fill the tall beaker/vase. If you don’t have the correct equipment for this, just make sure you don’t accidentally fill the tall beaker/vase up only a few of your mixtures! Ideally, an equal volume of each coloured liquid is added. 

Fill up the glasses with cold tap water. Remember – use one glass for each different colour of food colouring that you are using!

Add a few drops of food colouring to each of the glasses, so the water in each glass turns a different colour.

Add the sugar or salt to the glasses. This should be done in an orderly fashion so that the water in the glasses becomes progressively saltier (or sugarier). The first glass should be left without salt/sugar. Using a teaspoon to measure, add one teaspoonful of sugar/salt to the first glass. Add two to the second glass, three to third etc.

Stir each glass thoroughly with the teaspoon, making sure to wipe down the spoon with a paper towel between glasses. These are now ready to be transferred to the tall beaker/vase!

Pour the glass with the most sugar/salt added into the tall beaker/vase.

Add torn up pieces of blotting paper to the tall beaker/vase. You should add enough that they create a near-continuous surface on the top of the water in the beaker.

Now it’s time to prepare the funnel. Attach the straw to the end of the funnel with some sticky tape.

Take the funnel and straw and arrange the straw in the beaker so it will feed water to just above the layer of blotting paper. If the straw enters the layer of water below, the layers will get mixed up and the experiment won’t work. Similarly, if you pour the water in vigorously or let the water drop from a height, the layers will be disturbed.

Carefully and slowly begin pouring the second saltiest glass of water into the funnel, raising the staw as the water level rises.

Repeat this process, working from the glasses with the most salt/sugar added, until you get to the one with no salt/sugar added.

Sit back and watch the colourful layers become more and more distinct!

You may also like 8-Layer Density Column

If you liked Rainbow Density Tower, you may like our 8-Layer Density Column experiment too.

This experiment doesn’t just look great, it can teach us a few cool things about water and what happens when something dissolves, and about the concept of density.

When a solid substance like salt or sugar is mixed into the water – it disappears! This is because it is soluble – which is a fancy word that means it dissolves. What happens when the salt or sugar dissolves? It doesn’t just disappear but becomes suspended in the water. The water makes the salt/sugar molecules break apart into smaller pieces, which are then carried apart by the water. Nature likes things that are evenly spread out, so the salt/sugar will mix into the water until it is evenly spread.

Why do the different coloured layers of water stay distinct from one and another, and not mix? The different layers of water have different amounts of salt/sugar added to them. This changes a characteristic of the water known as density. Water with two teaspoonfuls of salt/sugar dissolved in it is more ‘dense’ compared to water with one teaspoonful of water dissolved into it. A good way to imagine salty water is that it is ‘busier’ with salt particles.

More dense, or busier water, is heavier than less dense water. More dense water will want to stay at the bottom of the beaker, and the less dense water will effectively float on top of it. The two liquids will only mix a little but are generally quite happy to stay separate.

When we’re talking about salt/sugar dissolving in water, there are some keywords that we should understand. In this experiment, salt or sugar (or the thing that dissolves) is called a solute , and water (what the sugar/salt dissolves into) is called a solvent. When the salt/sugar is dissolved in the water, a solution is produced. So a solute + a solvent = a solution! 

What happens when sugar or salt dissolves to form a solution? The answer is not as simple as the particles becoming suspended in water. Instead, we have to imagine a salt/sugar molecule and understand what holds it together. Let’s take salt – which is made up of ions of sodium and chloride, which have an ionic bond holding them together (an ionic bond is a force that holds two different particles together through a force similar to that seen in magnets). When salt is added to water, the sodium and chloride ions are more attracted to charged water particles than they are to each other. So effectively the water molecules pull the sodium and chloride ions apart, breaking the ionic bond that holds them together! The same happens with sugar, which has a slightly more complex molecular structure. 

Why do the different coloured layers of water stay distinct and separate, rather than mixing? This happens because the different salt/sugar solutions have different densities. The density of a solution will correlate directly with how much salt/sugar has been added to it. Solutions of different densities won’t mix because the more dense solution will naturally want to sink below the less dense solution (in some ways density can be thought of as how ‘heavy’ a liquid is!). Mixing will occur gradually at the boundary, or if stirred, but otherwise the different solutions are happy to not interact.

This is an interesting concept when we think about salty seawater and the fresh water that is added to the oceans from melting ice (which is fresh, or not salty). Saltwater and freshwater will behave differently – with saltwater sinking deeper in the oceans and freshwater wanting to stay at the surface. This is a very important concept in oceanic science and plays a big part in ocean circulation. Temperature is another important variable in oceanic circulation. If you want to know more about this, google ‘thermohaline circulation.

Water temperature is a variable that can be altered in this experiment and gives a range of interesting results. 

On the one hand, heat helps a solute to dissolve into a solvent. Why not measure how many spoonfuls of sugar or salt will dissolve in a glass of cold water vs a glass of warm water? 

Temperature is also a major control of density. A cold solution will be denser than a warm one, even if they have the same amount of solute dissolved in them. What happens if the temperature of the different solutions is mixed up, with some being warm and others being cold? (Spoiler alert: your nice colourful layers of water will probably mix!). 

Thank you! I will try it with my daughter tonight

Hi John! I am glad to hear this. I am sure you will have a wonderful time together exploring density and rainbows (:

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Colorful Sugar Density Experiment

Kids can grasp the concepts of volume and weight fairly easier. An elephant is bigger and heavier than a field mouse. A feather is smaller and lighter than a bowling ball. Not to difficult.

Density, however, is a little tougher for young kids to understand. Simply explained, density is the amount of mass per unit of volume. Generally, dense objects are heavy, and less dense objects are light. 

But wait! Before we move on to the experiment, I want to clarify that mass and weight are NOT the same! The weight of an item depends on gravity. That’s why when we are on the moon, where there is very little gravity, we weigh less. The mass, on the other hand, remains constant no matter where you are. 

Therefore, since density is based on mass and not weight, the density of an object remains the same no matter the location. 

Let’s move on to this awesome sugar water density science experiment that will leave your kids amazed!

How to Make a Rainbow Sugar Water Tower

• Food coloring
• 4+ identical glasses or cups
• Measuring spoon
• Narrow container (like a test tube )
• Pipette or dropper

Instructions:

1. Heat some water in the microwave or stovetop. 

2. Set out the identical glasses or cups. We will use these to make the different colors of the sugar water tower. You can make as many as you want.

3. Add sugar to the cups. We started with zero tablespoons of sugar and increased by 2 tablespoons for each cup. For example, you should have 2 tablespoons in the second cup, 4 tablespoons in the third cup, and so on. 

4. Add the hot water to each cup and stir to dissolve the sugar. Make sure you add the same amount of water to each cup.

5. Add a couple of drops of food coloring to each cup and mix. This is what we ended up with:

RED: 0 tablespoons of sugar

ORANGE: 2 tablespoons of sugar

YELLOW: 4 tablespoons of sugar

GREEN: 6 tablespoons of sugar

BLUE: 8 tablespoons of sugar

PURPLE: 10 tablespoons of sugar

6. You may not be able to dissolve all the sugar in some of the cups no matter how much you stir. In this case, microwave the solution for 30 seconds to heat the water. Continue heating the solution for 30 seconds at a time and stirring right after until all the sugar is dissolved.

7. Starting with the solution with the most dissolved sugar (purple if you follow the colors we used above), suck up the solution with a dropper and squeeze it in the test tube.

8. Use a new dropper or rinse and dry the used one well before moving on to the next color. Suck up the next color solution and carefully add it to the test tube. The best way is to keep the opening of the dropper against the wall of the test tube so that the solution slowly forms a layer on top of the previous one.

9. Continue step #8 until you are happy with the number of colors in your sugar water column!

We didn’t have a test tube at home so we used a film canister. We have plenty of film canister around from the paint bomb experiment and ghost rocket activity . You can use any clear, narrow container that will allow you to see the different colors. 

The key to this sugar density science experiment is PATIENCE. You need to add each layer slowly . Otherwise, the different colors will mix and you won’t be able to see distinct layers in your sugar water tower.

For younger kids, it’s easier to stick with just a couple of colors. They will be so proud when they see the different layers in the test tube! 

You can add as many layers as you want. You can attempt to make all the colors of the rainbow! Just make sure you always go from the densest color to the least dense color.

Science Behind the Sugar Density Tower

As mentioned above, density is the measure of mass per unit volume. Keeping the water volume the same for all the colors, we created water with different densities depending on how much sugar is in each cup.

The more sugar in the solution, the higher the density. You can even feel the higher density when you suck up the solution with the most sugar with the pipette. The solution is sticky and difficult to squeeze out. 

Due to the different sugar densities, you are able to stack the different color water on top of each other. The solution with lower density is able to stack on top of the solution with higher density. 

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Education Through Entertainment

How to make your own water density display | fun science activity.

Posted on Wed, Sep 14, 2016

Visually learn about water density with this easy-to-do experiment with beautiful results.  By "stacking" sugar water of varying densities in a test tube you can create a stunning display of science in action.  Check it out!

Watch this video to learn how to make your own water density display:

You need just a few things to make your water density experiment:

4 glasses of warm water

Food coloring

6 tablespoons of sugar

A tablespoon

Something to stir with

Test tube or a narrow glass (test tube works best)

Step 2: Color the Water

The first thing to do once you have located all of the necessary equipment is to color the different glasses of warm water.  Each color will represent a different density of water.  Use red, yellow, green and blue to get the best "rainbow" effect.  Stir the coloring around to make sure it's evenly distributed.

Step 3: Add the Sugar

With your glasses of water successfully color-coded, it's now time to add the sugar to them.  A different amount of sugar will be added to each glass, resulting in a different density for each color  Colors with less sugar will be less dense, and colors with more sugar will be more dense!

Do not add any sugar to the red glass.

Add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the yellow glass.

Add 2 tablespoons of sugar to the green glass.

Add 3 tablespoons of sugar to the blue glass.

Step 4: Stack the Water

It sounds impossible, but the next thing we're doing to do is actually "stack" the different colored waters on top of each other in our test tube.  Get your hands steady - this might take a couple of tries to get just right, but you have plenty of water to experiment with.

To start, carefully draw the blue water into the baster.  Get it nice and full, then squeeze it into your test tube.  The most dense colored water will be the bottom layer.

Next, fill the baster with the green water and similarly squeeze that into the test tube as well.  To avoid the layers combining, try to run the water down the side of the test tube in a gentle trickle.  A little color blending is normal, especially with the bottom two layers.

That looks great!  Look at the different layers.  Can you see the colors mixing together a bit where the colors meet?  Does that remind you of something you may have seen in another experiment ?

If you had success with this experiment, step it up to the next level by adding additional colors!  Insert colors like orange and purple into the spectrum to make your rainbow even more vibrant.  Make sure they have the appropriate amount of sugar dissolved into them. Remember, more dense liquids are heavier and will sit lower in the test tube.

If your food coloring kit doesn't come with orange and purple, think back to what you learned in Colors and Chemicals and mix your own!

Check back again for even more do-it-yourself science experiments from Mobile Ed's Building Up STEAM series.

If you like DIY experiments like these, you should see the kinds of spectacular demonstrations we bring to schools with our live school assembly presentations.  Take a look at STEAM Museum ,  The Magic of Science , Physics is Fun , Forces and Motion and Crime Scene Science , each full of interactive demonstrations that kids love.

If you enjoyed making your Water Cycle in a Bag, try our other   Building Up STEAM   activities and experiments!

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STEM Activities for Kids Water Color Sugar Cubes

By Katie Femia

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This post STEM Activities for Kids Water Color Sugar Cubes contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission of your purchase at no additional cost to you. To learn more visit my About Me page. 

Not only is it easy, but it is CHEAP! I also love that it strengthens fine motor skills, hand and eye coordination, and let’s him explore science through mixing colors and seeing the sugar dissolve.

Also, when done, the cubes can be used as math manipulatives or to teach volume. Pretty cool right?

Look below at one of my fave STEM Activities for Kids, as these Water Color Sugar Cubes are something every kiddo should try. 

Here is what you will need to get started:

– small paper or plastic cups – liquid droppers (found at Walmart in the pharmacy dept. or you can find them here ) – water color paint or food coloring ( child safe water color paint like this is ideal) – sugar cubes ( Domino Sugar Cubes like this are ideal) – tray or cutting board  – water – spoon

Directions: 1. Start by placing a few drops of paint or food coloring in each cup. Fill the cup 1/2 full with cold water. YOU MUST use cold, or the water will melt the sugar cubes. Mix well. 

2. Lay your sugar cubes out on a cutting board or plate/platter/tray. Space them about an inch apart so the colors don’t run.

3. Use your droppers to suck up some of the water color. Drop 2-3 drops of the color on the sugar cube.

4. You can mix colors if you want, adding for example one drop of blue and one drop of yellow in order to get green.

If you want to use the cubes later however, don’t over do it with water drops. 

6. Continue the process until all of your drops are beautifully tinted.

Our little guy loved LOVED this activity. He was all about using the droppers and turning the cubes all different colors. It took some control, because of course he wanted to go dropper crazy. But eventually, he got it and figured out what the perfect amount of water on each cube was. 

Just think of all the cute ways you could use these! If you are looking for fun science experiments for kids, and love STEM activities for kids, these water color sugar cubes are perfect.

Try them, then be sure to come back and tell me what you think! 

– Felt Garden Craft for Kids – Reasons to Let Kids Help Out in the Garden – Lavender Play Dough Recipe

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Sugar Crystal Experiment

This is an absolutely sweet science experiment! Grow sugar crystals and make homemade rock candy with this simple chemistry experiment. We can show you how to set up a science fair project to go along with it! Growing sugar crystals is a fun and easy science experiment for kids. .

Incredible Edible Science

Who doesn’t love science you can eat ? Grow sugar crystals for tasty chemistry , and the kids will have a blast learning all about crystals!

Crystal science has fascinated humans for thousands of years. Many of our precious gemstones are formations of crystal. Check out other crystal science projects like our salt crystals and borax crystals. You can also make edible rock candy geodes .

This sugar crystal experiment uses the same saturation principles and makes a saturated solution to form the crystals. Growing crystals is fun for kids and teaches them about solutions, molecular bonds, patterns, and energy. All from two ingredients: sugar and water!

Oh, and of course, you can incorporate it into a geology lesson , too!

💡 You can eat these crystals when you are done growing them, making it even more fun!

How to Grow Sugar Crystals

Why do we call chemistry experiments like this kitchen science ? It is because all the needed supplies come straight out of the kitchen. Easy!

Note: You will need to set aside 8+ days to complete this sugar crystal experiment.

• 1 cup water
• 4 cups sugar
• Edible glitter
• Food coloring

Also check out more fun ideas for mason jar science! Once you set up your sugar crystal experiment, try a few more quick science in a jar ideas!

HOW TO MAKE SUGAR CRYSTALS

STEP 1. The day before starting your sugar crystal experiment, cut a piece of string a little longer than your jars. Tie one end of the string to a straw. Tie a knot in the other end.

Get the strings wet and coat them in sugar. Let them dry overnight.

STEP 2.   Add four cups of sugar and one cup of water to a saucepan the following day and heat until boiling. Heating the water to dissolve the sugar is the key to making your supersaturated solution.

Create the sugar solution: Heat water in a saucepan until it just begins to boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add granulated sugar to the hot water, stirring continuously, until no more sugar dissolves. Keep adding sugar and stirring until you see some sugar settling at the bottom of the saucepan without dissolving further. This indicates that you have a saturated solution.

STEP 3. Pour your sugar mixture into the jars. Add edible food coloring to each jar and add some edible glitter.

STEP 4. Lower the string into the jar and place the jars in a safe place. Leave the sugar crystals to form for at least a week.

SUGAR CRYSTALS: DAY 8

Once the sugar crystals are as big as you want them, remove them from the sugar solution. Lay them on a paper towel or plate and let them dry for several hours.

Inspect the sugar crystals with a magnifying glass or microscope when they are dry . How are the crystals similar? How are they different? What can you see in the microscope or with a magnifying glass that you can’t see with your eyes?

Fabulous, edible science is at your fingertips when you explore science in the kitchen with your kids!

FREE Geology Activities Guide

Just because it’s food or candy doesn’t mean you can’t apply the scientific method .

Sugar Crystal Science Fair Projects

Science projects are an excellent way for older kids to show what they know about science. They can also be used in various environments, including classrooms, homeschooling, clubs, and groups.

💡 Kids can take everything they have learned about using the scientific method , stating a hypothesis, creating variables , and analyzing and presenting data.

Want to turn this sugar crystals experiment into a cool sugar crystallization science project? Check out these helpful resources below. Take a look at the science fair project outline below to get started.

• Science Project Tips From A Teacher
• Science Fair Board Ideas
• Easy Science Fair Projects

Sample Science Procedure to Grow Sugar Crystals:

• Begin the project by explaining what crystals are and the process of crystallization. Take a look at different examples of sugar crystals to learn more.
• Formulate a hypothesis. For example, “I predict that crystals will grow faster/bigger in a solution with more sugar.”
• Prepare the different containers for growing crystals according to the steps above.
• Encourage kids to set up multiple containers with different variables to test.
• a. Vary the sugar concentration in the solution (e.g., 1 cup sugar:1 cup water, 1 cup sugar:1/2 cup water, etc.).
• b. Compare different types of sugar (granulated sugar, powdered sugar, brown sugar).
• c. Test the effect of temperature by placing one container in the fridge and another in a warm place. d. Investigate the impact of time by checking the crystals’ growth at regular intervals (e.g., every day for a week).
• Have the kids observe the containers regularly and record them in a notebook. They should note changes in crystal size, shape, and formation patterns. Use our free science fair pack to help!
• Help the kids analyze their results and draw conclusions based on their observations.
• Discuss whether their hypotheses were supported and if they noticed any unexpected findings.
• Prepare a display board for the science fair, showcasing the experiment’s steps, observations, and results.

This project provides an excellent opportunity for kids to learn about the scientific method, observation, and the fascinating world of crystal formation while enjoying some sweet treats!

More Fun Edible Experiments

See if you can turn one of these science experiments into a science fair project!

• Strawberry DNA Extraction (not edible, but a great project)
• Make Edible Geodes
• Fizzing Lemonade
• Maple Syrup Snow Candy
• Homemade Butter
• Ice Cream In A Bag

Printable Science Projects For Kids

If you’re looking to grab all of our printable science projects in one convenient place plus exclusive worksheets and bonuses like a STEAM Project pack, our Science Project Pack is what you need! Over 300+ Pages!

• 90+ classic science activities  with journal pages, supply lists, set up and process, and science information.  NEW! Activity-specific observation pages!
• Best science practices posters  and our original science method process folders for extra alternatives!
• Be a Collector activities pack  introduces kids to the world of making collections through the eyes of a scientist. What will they collect first?
• Know the Words Science vocabulary pack  includes flashcards, crosswords, and word searches that illuminate keywords in the experiments!
• My science journal writing prompts  explore what it means to be a scientist!!
• Bonus STEAM Project Pack:  Art meets science with doable projects!
• Bonus Quick Grab Packs for Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics

• Pingback: 30 Incredible Chemistry Experiments - 123 Homeschool 4 Me
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• Pingback: Thanksgiving Lesson Plans for a Kid Friendly STEMs-Giving! | Little Bins for Little Hands

I am a librian and I just wanted to say that I love your website!! We have been doing take-home kits instead of in person youth programming due to COVID, and your STEM projects with explanations of the science are a real life-saver!

Love it! So happy to hear that we’ve been of help to you in these difficult times!

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Optimizing biochar application for enhanced cotton and sugar beet production in Xinjiang: a comprehensive study

• Wang, Shibin
• Wang, Chunli
• Siddique, Kadambot HM
• Qi, Xingyun
• Luo, Honghai
• Yang, Guang
• Hou, Zhenan
• Wang, Xiaofang
• Liang, Jiaping
• Xie, Xiangwen
• Zhang, Fucang

BACKGROUNDOptimizing biochar application is vital for enhancing crop production and ensuring sustainable agricultural production. A 3‑year field experiment was established to explore the effects of varying the biochar application rate (BAR) on crop growth, quality, productivity and yields. BAR was set at 0, 10, 50 and 100 t ha−1 in 2018; 0, 10, 25, 50 and 100 t ha−1 in 2019; and 0, 10, 25 and 30 t ha−1 in 2020. Crop quality and growth status and production were evaluated using the dynamic technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution with the entropy weighted method (DTOPSIS‑EW), principal component analysis (PCA), membership function analysis (MFA), gray relation analysis (GRA) and the fuzzy Borda combination evaluation method.RESULTSLow‑dose BAR (≤ 25 t ha−1 for cotton; ≤ 50 t ha−1 for sugar beet) effectively increased biomass, plant height, leaf area index (LAI), water and fertility (N, P and K) productivities, and yield. Biochar application increased the salt absorption and sugar content in sugar beet, with the most notable increases being 116.45% and 20.35%, respectively. Conversely, BAR had no significant effect on cotton fiber quality. The GRA method was the most appropriate for assessing crop growth and quality. The most indicative parameters for reflecting cotton and sugarbeet growth and quality status were biomass and LAI. The 10 t ha−1 BAR consistently produced the highest scores and was the most economically viable option, as evaluated by DTOPSIS‑EW.CONCLUSIONThe optimal biochar application strategy for improving cotton and sugar beet cultivation in Xinjiang, China, is 10 t ha−1 biochar applied continuously. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.